#44

I put a little more strength into the hand that patted Manager Ahn Siwon’s shoulder. Hearing his sorrowful voice, I somehow felt as if I were looking at a poor little lamb that had been dropped right into the middle of madness.

“If it seemed like it would interfere with work, I would report it to the higher-ups and forcibly stop it, but that’s not the case. And it’s hard to say anything to people who are just working hard. Team Leader Seohee said it looks fun, so she just wants to watch. Secretary Sung said it’s not something worth getting involved in, so we should just ignore it and not bother the president with it……”

“……You’ve really had a hard time, Manager Ahn.”

All I did was say that I would just receive the final report, yet how did things end up like this? I let out a deep sigh as I tried to sort through the baffling turn of events spinning in my head.

“It’s not a test or anything. I just don’t get involved because I don’t know much about album production.”

“No one would believe that even if you said it yourself. They don’t believe that there’s anything you can’t do.”

Manager Ahn Siwon spoke with a voice full of exhaustion, even shuddering slightly. Thanks to employees who overestimated me far more than I had expected, I felt like I was getting a headache.

“Anyway, given the situation, it won’t be easy to reach a conclusion. Everyone will try to put forth their best efforts and produce a perfect result. Of course, if you personally get involved, that would change things……”

At Ahn Siwon’s subtle suggestion, I firmly shook my head. I didn’t want to step into something I wasn’t confident in, especially if other people would be affected.

“There are experts in every field. I don’t consider myself an expert in this. So, I don’t think it would be wise for me to step in.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

Although he looked a bit dejected, Ahn Siwon quietly accepted my refusal. He probably knew as well—there were so many experts involved that a complete novice like me wouldn’t be able to do anything even if I joined in.

“From what I’ve heard, it seems like Secretary Sung is right. There’s no real need for you to intervene. Just keep an eye on things, and if it looks like they’re getting too carried away, try to put on the brakes a little. Of course, only within reason. If it seems impossible, you can just leave it be. Let me know immediately if any serious issues arise.”

“Got it.”

“It must be tough being stuck in the middle, but please hang in there a little longer.”

Saying that, I patted Manager Ahn Siwon’s shoulder a couple of times, offering comfort and encouragement. In response, he sighed in resignation and answered,

“Understood. I’ll dedicate my whole body and soul to this, sir.”

Hearing Ahn Siwon’s feeble response, I gave him a faint smile. Then, sensing that our conversation had come to a close, I slowly started walking out of the break room.

“Are you going back to the meeting room?”

“No. If rumors are spreading like this, I think it’d be better not to show up at the meeting.”

If I showed up too often, I’d only fuel their enthusiasm unnecessarily. They were already too passionate as it was, so it seemed best to step back for now.

“Just returning to the office would be much……”

I was about to say that I’d just return to my office when I suddenly stopped speaking. At the same time, my steps came to a halt.

What made me stop was a scene visible through the glass window of the practice room door.

It was Nam Yisol. He was lying sprawled out on the practice room floor, breathing heavily, as if taking a break from practice.

“Are you going in?”

“Ah…… Yes. I think I will.”

At Manager Ahn Siwon’s question, I hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Since I had suddenly stopped walking, he also halted his steps, observing me with a look of contemplation before slowly speaking.

“After that ramen incident, you seem to have gotten a lot closer to the kids.”

I nearly burst out laughing at the way Ahn Siwon referred to the event from a few days ago as ‘the ramen incident’. I barely managed to suppress the laughter rising up in my throat.

“Yes. I think…… ahem. I think we’ve gotten a lot closer.”

Just as he said, since that day, my relationship with Tartarus had become a bit more friendly than before. Of course, it wasn’t the case with all the members—some still seemed uncomfortable around me. But compared to the initial awkward atmosphere, it was a significant improvement.

As I felt a sense of pride in how much our relationship had progressed, Ahn Siwon let out a small hum.

“Hmmm…… Well, getting closer to your company’s idols is a good thing. If you’re happy, then I’m happy too.”

There was something subtly meaningful in his words. Sensing it, I looked at Ahn Siwon with a questioning gaze. However, he simply flashed his usual bright and lively smile.

“Well then, go ahead, sir. I’ll head back to the meeting room. Hopefully, some progress has been made by now.”

With that, Ahn Siwon walked off toward the meeting room with light, energetic steps. Watching his figure grow smaller in the distance, I couldn’t shake off a lingering sense of unease. There was definitely more to it, but he wasn’t saying anything.

Normally, I would have just grabbed him and asked outright, but strangely enough, I didn’t feel inclined to do that with Manager Ahn Siwon. The same went for Secretary Sung Yoojun. In this world, only with those two.

For someone like me, who didn’t easily trust others, this was an exceptional case. Aside from my younger sister, there were hardly any instances where I let things slide like this. Just as this world had its own inexplicable rules, I, too, had a certain desire to maintain control over situations.

Feeling a sense of frustration, I rubbed my chin with my fingers. But no matter how much I dwelled on it, there was no clear answer to be found. All I could do was form a hypothesis that those two were, in some way, ‘bound’ to me and that it had some kind of influence on me.

Yet, no matter how many hypotheses one forms, without proof, there’s no moving to the next step. I reminded myself of that fact, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. Making premature assumptions without any information was never a rational approach. Rather than jumping to conclusions and fostering unnecessary prejudices, it was better to withhold judgment.

Once again, I put off reaching a perfect conclusion and instead turned toward the practice room, knocking politely on the door.

Knock, knock. A crisp knocking sound rang out, but Nam Yisol, who was lying on the floor, didn’t respond. What? Did he fall asleep? Just in case, I knocked again, but there was still no reaction.

Standing outside the practice room, I hesitated for a moment before carefully opening the door and stepping inside.

Even after walking up to where Nam Yisol lay, he showed no response. Stopping at a reasonable distance, I bent down slightly and looked at him. He was covering his eyes with his arm, his whole body drenched in sweat from what must have been an intense practice session.

If he sleeps like this, he’ll catch a cold.

As I felt a wave of concern, I parted my lips, intending to wake him up. But at that moment, Nam Yisol lowered the arm covering his eyes.

Our gazes met—me leaning over him from above, and him lying on the floor looking up. Caught off guard, we both froze, blinking at each other in silence.

After what felt like an eternity, it was Nam Yisol, looking flustered, who spoke first.

“Uh…… President? What’s going on?”

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer, so I got worried…… I came in to wake you up and send you back to the dorm if you had fallen asleep.”

I explained, straightening my back and stepping back slightly. At that, Nam Yisol sat up and removed the Bluetooth earbuds from his ears.

“I must not have heard because I had these in. Guess that’s just how immersive our group’s music is.”

He chuckled playfully, his voice light.

“You were listening to Tartarus’ songs?”

“Yes. I was practicing while listening to our songs. I haven’t been practicing as much lately, and my body was starting to feel stiff.”

Hearing that, I tilted my head in curiosity. If it was just music, he could have played it through the speakers in the practice room—why listen through earbuds?

Perhaps noticing my unspoken question, Nam Yisol answered before I could ask.

“For some reason, I find this way more comfortable. So unless it’s group practice or I’m practicing with someone else, I usually listen like this.”

“I see.”

Accepting his explanation, I let my gaze drop to the Bluetooth earbuds resting on his open palm. The earbuds, lying quietly in his pale hand, were visibly worn from extensive use, showing clear signs of age.

“They’re pretty old, right? I’ve been using these since my trainee days…… It’s kind of embarrassing, showing them to someone like this.”

Seeing my intrigued expression, Nam Yisol hesitated, then shyly clenched his fist, hiding the earbuds within his palm.

Watching his fingers close over them, I slowly raised my gaze and met his eyes, taking in the slight embarrassment on his face.

“It just means you’ve worked that hard, Yisol-ssi.”